Nyankpala water crisis compels residents to depend on dam water for survival

Correspondence from Northern Region:

Residents of Nyankpala, a community in the Tolon constituency of the Northern Region are appealing to the government to dredge the dams in the area to boost its water holding capacity to curb the water crisis facing them.

The Nyankpala community, which has a population of about 25,000 people has been depending on dam water for survival, following the failure of the Ghana Water Company (GWC) to provide them with potable water.

Nyankpala has five dams, four out of the five usually get dries up few months after the end of the rainy season, leaving only one dam which usually takes them through the dry season.

The residents said due to the narrowing up of the dams and the increasing water demand, it has resulted in the early drying up of the dams, which always make life unbearably for residents.

However, the only dam that usually remains for residents to depend on is at the outskirts of the community, compelling residents to employ the services of water carriers to fetch the water for them for a charge.

In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, the Assemblyman of the area, Hon. Alhassan Mohammed said though there are more than 30 stand-up pipes in the community, for the past two years they have not seen a drop of water from the taps.

Hon. Mohammed noticed that even the boreholes in the area dries up in the dry season leaving them with no option than to depend on the dams.

Hon. Mohammed said letters were written to the Tolon District Chief Executive then, to look into the water situation of the area never yielded any results.

He also said at the Assembly level, they have tabled the issue several times to the District Assembly to have a look into the situation but the Assembly always complains of not having funds to undertake such a project in its magnitude.

“We have spoken about this at the Assembly for some time now, both at the committee level and at the general assemble meetings, and most times what the assemble says is that they don't have enough funds to embark on such project and has always requested that we channel that to the central government." He intimated.

Hon. Mohammed said after several efforts been made by the community authorities just to find a remedy to the situation which has proven futile, the residents wished that; “ if we get sponsors to come to our aid, and help dredged the dams for us, it will serve as a big relief to us. At least we will have a reliable source of water."

Speaking to some of the residents, they appealed to the government, NGOs to come to their aid.

Meanwhile, the scarcity of water has created an employment opportunity for some of the youth to engage in carrier work, fetch water and sell to the residents who can't afford to walk at that far distance to get the water from the dam.